


Hunting Season

by Yessica



Series: Whumptober 2020 Yessica Edition [26]
Category: Watership Down - Richard Adams
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Canon, Whumptober 2020, rabbit hunting, so be merciful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27254362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yessica/pseuds/Yessica
Summary: Bigwig gets in a spot of trouble on the down.(Whumptober day 28 - Hunting season)
Series: Whumptober 2020 Yessica Edition [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949233
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Hunting Season

The down was peaceful on that autumn afternoon.

Bigwig was lying near a fresh patch of clover, resting his head on his paws and generally enjoying the brisk breeze that easily carried over the hill this time of year. It would not be long before winter was upon them, but foraging had been going well thanks to the does who had joined them. The whole ordeal with Woundwort was gradually being forgotten, though Hazel still kept busy restoring all the mess it had created.

A scent carried towards them on the wind. It was the foul-smelling sticks of the humans, sending smoke into the air as they were being burnt and Bigwig perked up his ears, searching for the sound of footsteps coming up the slope. They had been at Watership Down long enough to know most humans did not frequent the paths leading down to the meadows and when the odd farmer came around it was easy enough to hide. But these steps sounded lighter, not the sturdy work boots he would recognize. After another tense second had passed he stamped his hind leg on the ground twice before darting into the underbrush, knowing the nearest hole was too far away and would still be a gamble.

By peeking out Bigwig could see most others had followed his example, even the younger bucks from Efrafa not yet accustomed to how they should react with humans. All but a single doe who had either missed the signal or was ignorant to its meaning and was still nibbling at the long green blades of grass that had caught her attention.

Just as he noticed this, two human shapes started to dawn on the hill, their frames relaxed as they strolled at a leisurely pace. From what Bigwig could tell they were young – not yet adults – and both male. One of them was carrying a gun.

They talked among themselves in hushed voices and the one without the gun pointed at the down with its many scattered rabbit holes. Bigwig's entire body went rigid when they spotted the doe, suddenly stilling themselves. She had seen or heard them as well now but fear had caused her to go tharn, eyes wide and claws scratching nervously at the earth. If she was fast enough and moved before the man had raised his gun, she might still be able to make it to cover before they could react, but Bigwig wasn't certain if the doe – he suddenly remembered her name as Willow - would realize this.

The humans stared at her for a moment longer before they finally seemed to shake themselves out of their own surprise and the one holding the gun raised his arms, laying the metal part against his shoulder. He closed one eye for better aim, pointing at Willow still sitting motionless in the grass. Bigwig knew his only choices were to either do something foolish or watch this doe get shot before his very eyes.

Moving on impulse he darted out of the bush, going against every instinct telling him it was safer to stay concealed. Since he had been further down the hill, he was actually closer to the pair than Willow was and as such only needed a couple of counts before he was near enough to them to be noticed. Feeling boldness course through him, Bigwig took the risk of bolting between the human's legs, making the shorter one let out a surprised yelp. After barely avoiding being stepped on he kept running, jumping over a small thorn bush into the opposite thicket, unable to see if his action had been in vain or if Willow had used his distraction to her advantage.

A shot rang out on the down.

Sharp pain blossomed all across Bigwig's hind leg and sent him rolling over himself, skidding to a stop. He had made it to the covers at least and hoped this meant the humans would be unable to spot him. Trying to sit up, the muscle in his hind paw felt tight and hot, hurting so much he could not move it properly. The iron odor of blood filled his nostrils and made his heartbeat quicken. If an elil smelled him like this, he'd be dead meat all the same.

The bushes rustled and he froze, waiting for the inevitable to happen. But instead a voice different from those the humans had used before carried and the rustling stopped abruptly before he felt their presence fade again. Whoever had called for them had not sounded pleased. Bigwig waited, barely allowing himself to inhale, crouched down to make himself as tiny as possible. The pain flared up from inaction but he ignored it stubbornly.

It was hardly as bad as the wire had been.

After a while, he was sure the danger had passed and he stretched his injured paw, finding it serviceable to carry his weight at least a little further. Peeking out of the bushes first, Bigwig could already see the others of the warren poke their own faces out to see if the danger had cleared. No sooner had he started the strenuous task of limping his way up the hill or Hazel was already rushing towards him.

As usual, he did not look very pleased with Bigwig's actions.

"While I really appreciate the sentiment," Hazel-rah told him, "I really wish you wouldn't do such risky things with no warning." He rubbed his head with his paw in a gesture of clear nervousness.

Bigwig looked at him. "Do you?"

"I suspect Willow does as well. She'll probably thank you later. But you worry me too much."

Fiver had come up to them whilst they were talking and inspected the wound, nuzzling at the blood-stained fur. "Went straight through, that's good."

"I suspect I wouldn't be moving around anymore if it hadn't," Bigwig answered.

"Agreed," Hazel said. Bigwig knew he had been through something vaguely similar not too long ago when they were just done with The General. He had not grasped the severity of it then except in a roundabout way, but with his own experience, it only drove home how much their chief rabbit was to be aspired. "But for now you would do well to get in the burrow so we can tend to the wound all the same."

"Right." Bigwig touched Hazel's nose with his own, to avert some of the clear anxiety in his demeanor, and to signify he was truly alright. He then directed his next statement at Fiver. "You couldn't have predicted this occurrence then, with all your balderdash?"

The words had no heat behind them. For as much as Bigwig had truly not believed in Fiver's gift at first, he had learned to begrudgingly respect it along their perilous journey. That did not mean he would not poke fun at it when he could.

Fiver went alongside him as they slowly made their way back up the hill. "I suspect not. You're just too unpredictable for it to work, Thlayli."

And with that at least Bigwig could agree.

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by Zeke on [my Tumblr](http://sharada-n.tumblr.com/)


End file.
